Faculty Director: Public Health Microbiology LABORATORY

   Aliyar Cyrus Fouladkhah is a graduate of the Food Science and Human Nutrition Master’s and Food Microbiology Doctoral programs of Colorado State University (CSU). He holds a Graduate Certificate in Applied Statistics and Data Analysis from CSU’s Statistics Department and completed his training in the Public Health Department of Yale University in the Advanced Professional MPH program (AP MPH), tracked in Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiology, a Graduate Certification in Food and Drug Regulatory Affairs, and a Certificate in Climate Change and Human Health. 

   He has been a member of an authors’ team of over 100 peer-reviewed publications and conference proceedings. He is currently serving as the faculty director of Public Health Microbiology laboratory in Nashville, where his program has been extramurally funded by >$4.5 million (as project director and co-director) of federal and private industry agencies and provided education opportunities for undergraduate, MS, Ph.D., and post-doctoral students/fellows. He has served as president of Rocky Mountain (Colorado) and Volunteer (Tennessee) sections of IFT,chair and co-chair of Health and Medical Sciences division of Tennessee Academy of Science (2018-2022), and as exam item writer and reviewer for both certified food scientists and certified in public health national examinations and as the instructor of public health workshops and outreach events in Colombia, Dominican Republic, Republic of Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Lebanon, and South Africa.

He is currently serving American Public Health Association as Section Councilor (Food and Nutrition section), and Yale Alumni Association as Regional Director (TN, KY, VW) of Yale Alumni Association. In recent years, Dr. Fouladkhah has received international, national, and regional awards and recognition including 2024 Excellence in Climate Leadership award of APHA, 2024 Catherine Cowel Award, Food and Nutrition Section of APHA, 2023 USAID Service of the Year Award (ACDI/VOCA region), 2022 Outstanding Service Award from Yale Alumni Association, and 2022 Distinguished Industrial Scientist Award of Tennessee Academy of Science.

Current Position: Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University

Dissertation:

Biofilm Formation and Pressure-based Pasteurization of Bacterial Spores and Foodborne Pathogens of Public Health Concern as Affected by Bacteriocin and Bactericidal Compounds (Adviser/degree chair: A. Foul adkhah).

Publications:

Asefaw, S.; Aras, S.; Kabir, M.N.; Wadood, S.; Chowdhury, S.; Fouladkhah*, A.C. Public Health Importance of Preventive Measures for Salmonella Tennessee and Salmonella Typhimurium Strain LT2 Biofilms. Microbiol. Res. 2023, 14, 714–726. https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14020051

Chowdhury, A., Aras, S., Kabir, N., Wadood, S., Allison, A., Chowdhury, S., and Fouladkhah*, A.C. 2022. Susceptibility of Pathogenic Nontyphoidal Salmonella Serovars and Avirulent Salmonella LT2 to Elevated Hydrostatic Pressure and CitricidalTM. Journal of Tennessee Academy of Science, Health and Medical Sciences Division of Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science 2022, 96(1): 49–54.

Aras, S.; Kabir, N.; Wadood, S.; George, J.; Chowdhury, S.; Fouladkhah*, A.C. Synergistic Effects of Nisin, Lysozyme, Lactic Acid, and CitricidalTM for Enhancing Pressure-Based Inactivation of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Geobacillus stearothermophilus, and Bacillus atrophaeus Endospores. Microorganisms 2021, 9, 653.

Kabir, N., Aras, S., George, J., Wadood, S., Chowdhury, S., Fouladkhah*, A. High-pressure and thermal-assisted pasteurization of habituated, wild-type, and pressure-stressed Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria innocua, and Staphylococcus aureus. LWT- Food Science and Technology, 2021, 137: 110445.

Aras, S., Kabir, N., Allison, A., George, J., Fouladkhah*, A. Inactivation of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157: H7 and mesophilic background microbiota of meat homogenate using elevated hydrostatic pressure, mild heat, and thymol. Journal of Food Science, Food Engineering, Materials Science, and Nanotechnology, JFS 2020, 85(12): 4335-4341.

George, J. Aras, S., Kabir, N., Wadood, S., Chowdhury, S., Fouladkhah*, A. Sensitivity of Planktonic Cells of Staphylococcus aureus to Elevated Hydrostatic Pressure as Affected by Mild Heat, Carvacrol, Nisin, and Caprylic Acid. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(19): 7033. Impact factor (2019-2020): 2.849.

Kabir, M.N., Aras, S., Wadood, S., Chowdhury, S., Fouladkhah*, A. Fate and Biofilm Formation of Wild-Type and Pressure-Stressed Pathogens of Public Health Concern in Surface Water and on Abiotic Surfaces. Microorganisms 2020, 8, 408. Impact factor (2018-2019): 4.167

Aras, S., Kabir, M.N., Chowdhury, S., Fouladkhah*, A. Augmenting the Pressure-Based Pasteurization of Listeria monocytogenes by Synergism with Nisin and Mild Heat. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 563. Impact factor (2018-2019): 2.469

Kabir, M.N., Aras, S., Allison, A., Adhikari, J., Chowdhury, S., and Fouladkhah*, A., 2019. Interactions of Carvacrol, Caprylic Acid, Habituation, and Mild Heat for Pressure-Based Inactivation of O157 and Non-O157 Serogroups of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Acidic Environment. Microorganisms, 7(5), p.145. Impact factor (2018-2019): 4.167

Awards:

-2nd Place, Oral Presentation Competitions. 5th Annual State-wide Competition for Food Safety Modernization Act, Food Safety, and Food Science. Tennessee (Volunteer) section Institute of Food Technologists/Public Health Microbiology laboratory. December 16, 2021. Student: Sadiye Aras. Dec. 16, 2021

-2nd Place, Health & Medical Sciences Section, Oral Competitions. 131st Meeting of the Tennessee Academy of Science, Health and Medical Sciences Section. Hosted by Tennessee Technological University. November 6, 2021, Cookeville, TN. Student: S. Aras. Nov. 26, 2021

-1st Place (tied), Health & Medical Sciences Section, Poster Competitions. 131st Meeting of the Tennessee Academy of Science, Health and Medical Sciences Section. Hosted by Tennessee Technological University. November 6, 2021, Cookeville, TN. Student: S. Aras. Nov. 26, 2021

-2nd Place, Health & Medical Sciences Section, Oral Competitions. 130th Meeting of the Tennessee Academy of Science. Virtual meeting (due to ongoing respiratory pandemic/endemic) hosted by East Tennessee State University. November 21, 2020. Student: S. Aras. Nov. 21, 2020 

-3rd Place, Graduate Students Oral Competitions. 4th Annual State-wide Competition for Food Safety Modernization Act, Food Safety, and Food Science. Tennessee (Volunteer) section Institute of Food Technologists/Public Health Microbiology laboratory. September 8, 2020. Student: S. Aras. Sep. 8, 2020 

-2nd Place, Oral Competitions, Health and Medical Sciences section. 2019 Tennessee Academy of Sciences. The 129th annual meeting, Columbia State Community College. Columbia, TN. Student: S. Aras. Nov 22, 2019

Current Position: Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Albany State University

Publications:

Asefaw, S.; Aras, S.; Kabir, M.N.; Wadood, S.; Chowdhury, S.; Fouladkhah*, A.C. Public Health Importance of Preventive Measures for Salmonella Tennessee and Salmonella Typhimurium Strain LT2 Biofilms. Microbiol. Res. 2023, 14, 714–726. https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14020051

Chowdhury, A., Aras, S., Kabir, N., Wadood, S., Allison, A., Chowdhury, S., and Fouladkhah*, A.C. 2022. Susceptibility of Pathogenic Nontyphoidal Salmonella Serovars and Avirulent Salmonella LT2 to Elevated Hydrostatic Pressure and CitricidalTM. Journal of Tennessee Academy of Science, Health and Medical Sciences Division of Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science 2022, 96(1): 49–54.

Aras, S.; Kabir, N.; Wadood, S.; George, J.; Chowdhury, S.; Fouladkhah*, A.C. Synergistic Effects of Nisin, Lysozyme, Lactic Acid, and CitricidalTM for Enhancing Pressure-Based Inactivation of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Geobacillus stearothermophilus, and Bacillus atrophaeus Endospores. Microorganisms 2021, 9, 653.

Kabir, N., Aras, S., George, J., Wadood, S., Chowdhury, S., Fouladkhah*, A. High-pressure and thermal-assisted pasteurization of habituated, wild-type, and pressure-stressed Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria innocua, and Staphylococcus aureus. LWT- Food Science and Technology, 2021, 137: 110445.

Aras, S., Kabir, N., Allison, A., George, J., Fouladkhah*, A. Inactivation of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157: H7 and mesophilic background microbiota of meat homogenate using elevated hydrostatic pressure, mild heat, and thymol. Journal of Food Science, Food Engineering, Materials Science, and Nanotechnology, JFS 2020, 85(12): 4335-4341.

George, J. Aras, S., Kabir, N., Wadood, S., Chowdhury, S., Fouladkhah*, A. Sensitivity of Planktonic Cells of Staphylococcus aureus to Elevated Hydrostatic Pressure as Affected by Mild Heat, Carvacrol, Nisin, and Caprylic Acid. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(19): 7033. Impact factor (2019-2020): 2.849.

Kabir, M.N., Aras, S., Wadood, S., Chowdhury, S., Fouladkhah*, A. Fate and Biofilm Formation of Wild-Type and Pressure-Stressed Pathogens of Public Health Concern in Surface Water and on Abiotic Surfaces. Microorganisms 2020, 8, 408. Impact factor (2018-2019): 4.167

Aras, S., Kabir, M.N., Chowdhury, S., Fouladkhah*, A. Augmenting the Pressure-Based Pasteurization of Listeria monocytogenes by Synergism with Nisin and Mild Heat. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 563. Impact factor (2018-2019): 2.469

Current Position: Faculty Member (Instructor), Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University

Dissertation:

Inactivation of Wild-type, Rifampicin-resistant, and Pressure-adopted Foodborne Bacteria of Public Health Concern and Microbial Spores using Elevated Hydrostatic Pressure. (Adviser/degree chair: A. Fouladkhah).

Recent Publications:

Allison, A., Chowdhury, S., Fouladkhah*, A. Synergism of Mild Heat and High-Pressure Pasteurization against Listeria monocytogenes and Natural Microflora in Phosphate-Buffered Saline and Raw Milk.  Microorganisms 2018, 6(4), 102. Impact factor (2018-2019): 4.167

Allison, A., Fouladkhah*, A. Sensitivity of SalmonellaSerovars and Natural Microflora to High Pressure Pasteurization: Open Access Data for Practitioners and Risk Assessment. Data in Brief (Elsevier) 2018, 21:480–484. 

Allison, A., Daniels, E., Chowdhury, S., Fouladkhah*, A. Effects of Elevated Hydrostatic Pressure against Mesophilic Background Microflora and Habituated Salmonella Serovars in Orange Juice. Microorganisms2018, 6(1), 23. Impact factor(2018-2019): 4.167

Allison, A., Fouladkhah*, A. Adoptable Interventions, Human Health, and Food Safety Considerations for Reducing Sodium Content of Processed Food Products. Foods (Basel, Switzerland) 2018 7(2), 16. Impact factor(2018-2019): 3.011

Recent Awards:

-1st Place, Oral Competitions, Health and Medical Sciences section. 2019 Tennessee Academy of Sciences. The 129th annual meeting, Columbia State Community College. Columbia, TN. Student: A. Allison. Nov 22, 2019

-2nd Place, Oral Graduate Competitions, 2019 Annual State-wide Competition for Food Safety Modernization Act, Food Safety, and Food Science Students. Tennessee (Volunteer) section Institute of Food Technologists. Student: A. Allison

-2nd Place, Oral Competitions, Health and Medical Sciences section. 2018 Tennessee Academy of Sciences. The 128th annual meeting, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN. Student: A. Allison. Nov 17, 2018

-2018-2019 Foundation/Food and Product Safety (FMI) Scholarship ($3,000). Student: A. Allison. Sep 2018  

-2018 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Feeding Tomorrow Graduate Scholarship. Extension and Outreach Division. Student: A. Allison. May 2018  

-2018 International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Graduate Scholarship. 2018 Annual Conference of IAFP. Student: A. Allison. April 2018 

-2017-2018 Outstanding PhD Student of College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Sciences, Tennessee State University (Selected after peer-review by college faculty and NIFA judges, among approximately 34 PhD students/candidates in the college). Student: A. Allison, PhD candidate. Apr 28 2017

-2017 Institute of Food Technologists Feeding Tomorrow Scholarship, Food Laws & Regulation Divisions Graduate Scholarship. (Sole recipient of the award in the division among more than 500 national and international applicants). Student: A. Allison, PhD candidate. Apr 26 2017